THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 1908. A GRAVE POSITION.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9048, 6 February 1908, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 1908. A GRAVE POSITION.

A pertinent question to ask just now is—ls the town of Masterton to continue in serious jeopardy of destruction by fire until the Borough Council decides upon its combined sewerage and water extension scheme, or will the Council see fit in face of the failure of the water supply yesterday to adopt temporary measures to safeguard the property of the burgesses? If it does hot act promptly and intelligently in the matter it will carry a heavy responsibility upon its shoulders. The report of the condition of the water-supply yesterday, wh'ch is published in another column, emphasises the gravity of the present posii tion of affairs. Between four and five o'clock it was discovered that the pressure at the Central Fire Station registered only 151b, and shortly afterwards it fell to 51b. This ultimately went down to zero, and remained so for several hours—sufficiently long for the main street to have been demolished had a fire broken out and got a fair hold. We are informed that the cause was an obstruction of debris composed of leaves and grass which had accumulated around the intake pipe. That is a statement, however, which we would like to have confirmed before accepting it as an adequate explanation of the failure of the supply, and if confirmed we should like to know how such an occurrence was possible if the pipe was sufficiently protected and the supervision efficient. The fact

that at midnight, when the service had Jbeen practically out of use for. some hours, the pressure had only risen t<a 251b shows that the obstruction at the intake—if there really was an obstruction—was not the only cause of the shortage. The natural assumption is that the water in the reservoir has been a diminishing quantity apart from possible blockage. The position as it is—as it has been for some considerable time—is intolerable, and the Council should no longer shirk its responsibilities in regard to it. We have been assured and reasaured by more than one competent authority that for an expenditure of between £2OO and £3OO the water-supply could be rendered adequate for all necessary purposes, so that there is no excuse for delay on the score of expense in securing an efficient service; but whatever the cost, such a service must be provided at once. The safety of the town, and perhaps of life, must outweigh monetary considerations. It is impossible to emphasise the fact too much that under existing conditions the town is hourly running a ;terrible risk of demolition. It may be remarked in this connection that our insecure state is likely to give the insurance companies the excuse they are looking for to largely increase the fire rates. It cannot be expected that they wil' run grave risks at present premiums in a town that has a totally inadequate water sevice. This fact should stir the townspeople to demand protection from the borough authorities.